A day after raids were conducted at the premises of eight tobacco manufacturing companies here, the Commercial Tax Department has pegged tax evasion by them to the tune of Rs 150 crore besides an unaudited turnover of Rs 900 crore. “These companies have collectively evaded Rs 150 crore in payment of commercial tax and a total turnover of Rs 900 crore has been unaccounted in the last eleven months,” Additional Commissioner, Special Investigation Cell of the Commercial Tax Department, Shatrughna Upadhyaya said today. His department would recover around Rs 450 crore in penalties from ... Jump to full article >>

Lorillard Inc and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co have filed a lawsuit against the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) saying there were conflicts of interest and bias among members of an advisory panel which may recommend banning menthol cigarettes. The FDA advisory panel’s recommendations are not binding, however the agency usually goes along with its advice. Panel members are expected to put forward their recommendations regarding menthol-flavored cigarettes on 23rd March this year. Nearly 1 in every 3 cigarettes sold in the USA is mentholated. R. J. Reynolds sells a menthol Camel version as ... Jump to full article >>

On Friday Britney Spears made a bit of an exciting announcement on Good Morning America. In a short video clip on the TV show the singer revealed that she’ll be travelling to San Francisco next month to tape a special performance of her new song which will then be played on the morning TV show. Yay! She said: “Good morning, America. I am excited to tell you on Tuesday morning, March 29, I will be performing for the first time ever in a special concert in San Francisco’s historic Castro District on ‘Good Morning America.’ ” Yes that all sounds lovely we’re sur ... Jump to full article >>

Parents who smoke while driving with their children in the car may face prosecution under strict new laws. Health watchdogs in Wales are ­trying to slash the number of smokers by a third over the next decade. Chief medical ­officer Dr Tony Jewell said the laws will help break the cycle of ­smoking within families and “bring home to parents the risks of smoking in front of their children”. He added: “Reducing ­children’s exposure to ­second-hand smoke will help to protect the most ­vulnerable in society.” Patients and staff in Wales could also be banned from smoking while on br ... Jump to full article >>

The government will soon decide whether cigarette displays in shops should be banned. Health campaigners insist they should, believing this will reduce the number of young people smoking, while those who run convenience shops oppose the move, saying it will cost up to £1,000 to remove the displays and to fit under-the-counter trays to hold tobacco products. This, they warn, will increase queues in shops, levels of theft and smuggling. Whether a ban deters young people from smoking is fiercely contested. Several Canadian provinces that introduced a ban have witnessed a significant fall in you ... Jump to full article >>

MANILA, Philippines – The 8% excise tax increase is expected to trim the sales of the country’s leading cigarette manufacturer this year. Chris Nelson, president of PMFTC Inc., told reporters that the tobacco industry may not exceed last year’s record sales due to the higher excise tax that took effect January this year. “Let’s not forget that there was an increase in the excise tax on cigarettes in January and higher prices would understandably affect demand,” Nelson said. “It would be reasonable to assume that demand would be affected but overall, the industry outlo ... Jump to full article >>

Gandhinagar, Feb 25 (IANS) A green cess on power generation and an increase in VAT on tobacco and its products and on mobile phones, all designed to net an additional Rs.524 crore, were among the highlights of Gujarat’s surplus budget with an outlay of Rs.80,694 crore. Presenting annual budget to the state assembly here, Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala Friday said the plan expenditure has increased by 23.86 percent over the last year to Rs.37,153 crore. The budgetary estimates for 2011-12 show a revenue surplus of Rs.443 crore while the fiscal deficit is estimated to come down to Rs.14,2 ... Jump to full article >>

Carreras Limited said its sales volumes slipped in the third quarter as smokers continue to retreat from its licit higher-priced cigarettes while embracing black market offerings. Company revenue fell seven per cent to J$3.47 billion in the quarter ending December 2010, while net profit dropped 16 per cent, from J$849 million or J$1.75 per share to J$714 million or J$1.47 per share, reflecting both declining sales and a 38 per cent erasure of investment income as yields fell on paper securities. The cigarette distributor has blamed the contraction in its business on both Finance Minister Audl ... Jump to full article >>

Three Downers Grove store clerks were arrested and issued citations for selling tobacco to a minor after a village-wide tobacco compliance sweep, Downers Grove police said Thursday. Clerks were arrested and cited at the following locations: Walgreen’s located in the 6200 block of Belmont, where a 19-year-old clerk sold tobacco products to a minor at 4:15 p.m. on Feb. 22, police said. Speedway convenience store, located in the 5000 block of Fairview Avenue, where a 19-year-old clerk sold tobacco products to a minor at about 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 22, according to police. DG Foodmart, located ... Jump to full article >>

The cigarettes Audrey Silk used to smoke — Parliament Lights — are made at a factory in Richmond, Va. The cigarettes she smokes these days are made and grown in Brooklyn, at her house. Ms. Silk’s backyard is home to raspberry and rose bushes, geraniums, impatiens and 100 tobacco plants in gardening buckets near her wooden deck. Inside her house, around the corner from Flatbush Avenue, in Marine Park, she has to be careful stepping into her basement — one wrong move could ruin her cigarettes. Dozens of tobacco leaves hang there, drying on wires she has strung across the room, where they ... Jump to full article >>

George Clooney has revealed the reason he will never become a politician – he has a bad boy past. The Hollywood star, who has campaigned tirelessly for the people of Sudan, said he wasn’t squeaky clean and his past could come back to haunt him if he ever held office. ‘I didn’t live my life in the right way for politics, you knowI f***ed too many chicks and did too many drugs, and that’s the truth,’ he said. Clooney said anyone going into politics would have to face scandals from their past. The actor, who is considered the most eligible bachelor in Hollywoo ... Jump to full article >>